Portrait of a scamp

Sir Frederick Borden (1847-1917), physician and entrepreneur, was Canada's longest-serving minister of defence. His untidy private life, however, often captured more attention than his public service.

When Frederick died in 1917, the Montreal Gazette described him as “tall, debonair, fruity of voice, a joyous old boy and something of a scamp … who had other qualities which for the sake of delicacy are usually called human.”

According to emeritus professor of history Carman Miller, author of the recently published A Knight In Politics: A Biography of Sir Frederick Borden (McGill-Queen’s University Press), the description is about right. “He had a fearsome reputation.” (…)

But what interested Miller most is how Borden’s life touched on so many aspects of society in ways that defy our expectations of his era. For instance, Borden was surrounded by very strong women. Both his wives (his first died) and both his daughters were university educated. Borden was also remarkable for his decision to give Canada’s military nurses officer status during the South African war, a practice unheard of in the British army at the time.